ECC: What You Pay to Leave After 6 Months
Bureau of Immigration · immigration
Quick answer
An ECC Series A proves a departing foreign national has no derogatory record and no pending government obligations. It is required after a stay of 6 months or more. The certificate is ₱700.00, but the usual bundle comes to about ₱3,630.00. The charter gives 3 days.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from Bureau of Immigration's official published sources: Bureau of Immigration | Citizen's Charter 2025, 1st Edition (https://immigration.gov.ph/citizens-charter/, retrieved 2026-09-01). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with Bureau of Immigration before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-09-01.
What it proves
An Emigration Clearance Certificate is issued to departing foreign nationals to prove two things at the moment of issue: that they have no derogatory records in the country, and no pending obligations with the government.
It is a checkout document. The Bureau is confirming you leave nothing behind before it lets you go.
Who needs one
| Category | Trigger |
|---|---|
| Temporary visitors under CA 613, Section 9(a) | Stayed 6 months and beyond |
| Immigrants and non-immigrants | Visa downgraded or expired |
| Native-born temporary visitors | Their initial departure |
| Aliens with an approved Order to Leave | All of them |
| Bonafide seamen with BI-approved discharge | Stayed 30 days and beyond |
The six-month line is the one that catches ordinary travellers. A tourist who kept extending, as covered in our tourist visa extension guide, crosses it without any particular event marking the day. Nothing prompts you. The requirement simply exists by the time you try to fly out.
What it actually costs
The certificate is ₱700.00. Almost nobody pays only ₱700.00.
For an adult with previous extensions or updates, the charter bills a bundle:
| Item | Fee | Legal research fee |
|---|---|---|
| Emigration Clearance Certificate | ₱700.00 | ₱10.00 |
| ACR fee | ₱1,000.00 | ₱10.00 |
| Certificate of Residence for Temporary Visitor, if stayed 6 months or more | ₱1,400.00 | ₱10.00 |
| Express lane fee, if all fees paid | ₱500.00 | |
| Total | ₱3,630.00 |
So the six-month mark does two things at once: it makes the ECC compulsory, and it adds the ₱1,400.00 CRTV to the bill. Crossing it costs ₱1,410.00 more than not crossing it, on top of everything else.
Native-born applicants pay a different set
For an adult of 14 and above, born in the Philippines to one Filipino parent but recognised by a foreign country, the charter lists its own combination:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| ACR I-Card fee | 50 USD at the BSP forex rate |
| ACR fee | ₱1,000.00 |
| Emigration Clearance Certificate | ₱700.00 |
| NBCR fee | ₱1,400.00 |
| Legal research fee | ₱30.00 |
| Express lane fee, charged twice in the charter’s listing | ₱500.00 |
Note the ₱30.00 legal research fee here rather than ₱10.00, and the dollar-denominated ACR I-Card charge, which converts at the Bangko Sentral rate on the day of assessment.
The annual report fines
Two separate ₱200.00-a-month fines can arise, both capped at ₱2,000.00 a year:
| Fine | Rate | Annual cap |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to file the annual report | ₱200.00 per month | ₱2,000.00 |
| Late registration | ₱200.00 per month | ₱2,000.00 |
The charter adds the rule that decides which applies: the fine is assessed whichever is higher between the annual report fine and the late registration fine. They are not added together, which is the assumption people arrive with.
The annual report itself is ₱300.00 plus a ₱10.00 legal research fee.
What to bring
| Document | Detail |
|---|---|
| BI Form 2014-08-019 Rev 0, Alien Registration Program form | From the ARP Counter, Main Lobby |
| BI Form 2015-08-001 Rev 0, ECC application form | From the ARP Counter |
| BI Form 2015-08-001A Rev 0, ECC (Main Office) | 2 certificates |
| 2x2 photographs | 4 pieces, white background, taken within the last 3 months |
| Passport bio page and latest arrival stamp | 1 photocopy each |
| Proof of payment of all previous and latest visa extensions | 1 photocopy |
| Orders: Order to Leave, downgrading, motion for reconsideration, visa extension orders | 1 photocopy, if applicable |
| NBI clearance | Only for applicants with an Order to Leave |
Four photographs, not two. Most BI services ask for two, and this one asks for four.
Proof of payment for every previous extension is the requirement that sends people home. If you extended six times over a long stay, you need the receipts for all six.
The three days
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Evaluate documents, photo capture and electronic fingerprinting for the Special Security Registration Number | 10 minutes |
| Derogatory checking and issuance of the Order of Payment Slip | 15 minutes |
| Payment at the cashier | 10 minutes |
| Encoding and fingerprint verification, printed for the OSAU Chief’s review | 1 to 2 days |
| Final review and approval by the ARD Deputy Chief and ARD Chief | 1 day |
| Release of the approved ECC | 3 minutes |
| Total | 3 days, 38 minutes |
The 38 minutes is everything you personally do. The three days are two review layers you cannot influence, which is the same shape as every other BI service: fast counters, slow approvals.
Plan the ECC before booking the flight, not after. The certificate is classified a Simple Transaction and still takes three days.
Series A and Series B are different documents
| Series A | Series B | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Departing foreign nationals, long stays, expired or downgraded visas, Orders to Leave | ACR I-Card holders leaving temporarily |
| Also serves as | Nothing further | Re-entry Permit for immigrants, Special Return Certificate for non-immigrants |
| Validity | Single departure | 1 year or 6 months |
| Applied for | At the counter | Online through BI e-services |
If you intend to come back, Series B is the one you want, and it is applied for online. This page covers Series A.
Where this goes wrong
Assuming a tourist never needs one. Six months of extensions makes it compulsory.
Budgeting ₱700.00. The realistic bundle is around ₱3,630.00.
Booking the flight first. The published total is three days, and two of those are approvals.
Bringing two photographs. This service wants four.
Missing receipts for old extensions. Proof of payment for all previous and latest extensions is on the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
- Who needs an ECC?
- Five groups. Temporary visitors under CA 613 Section 9(a) who stayed six months and beyond; all immigrants and non-immigrants with downgraded or expired visas; native-born temporary visitors on their initial departure; all aliens with approved Orders to Leave; and bonafide seamen with BI-approved discharge who stayed 30 days and beyond.
- How much does an ECC cost?
- The certificate itself is ₱700.00 plus a ₱10.00 legal research fee. In practice it is billed with other charges: an ACR fee of ₱1,000.00, a CRTV fee of ₱1,400.00 where the stay reached six months, each with its own ₱10.00 LRF, and a ₱500.00 express lane fee. That bundle comes to ₱3,630.00.
- How long does it take?
- The charter gives a total of 3 days and 38 minutes. The counter work is the 38 minutes. The rest is 1 to 2 days for encoding and fingerprint verification, then 1 day for final review and approval by the ARD Deputy Chief and ARD Chief.
- What is the six-month rule?
- A temporary visitor who stayed six months or beyond needs an ECC to depart. The same six months also triggers the Certificate of Residence for Temporary Visitor at ₱1,400.00, so crossing that line adds both a requirement and a fee.
- Do I need an NBI clearance?
- Only if you have an Order to Leave. The charter lists NBI clearance in the checklist with a note that it applies to applicants with an Order to Leave, so an ordinary departing visitor does not need one.
- What are the fines for missing the annual report?
- ₱200.00 per month, capped at ₱2,000.00 per year. Late registration carries an identical ₱200.00 per month capped at ₱2,000.00 per year. The charter states the fine is assessed whichever is higher between the two, so they are not added together.
- How many photographs do I need?
- Four. 2x2 with a white background, taken within the last three months from the date of application. That is more than most BI services ask for, which typically want two.
- Is this the same as the ECC-B?
- No. Series A is for departing foreign nationals, largely those leaving after a long stay or with an expired or downgraded visa. Series B is for ACR I-Card holders leaving temporarily and intending to return, and doubles as a re-entry permit.